Video Podcast
Episode 1
Eight tips for eating well
© Food – a fact of life 2008
Part one:
Eight tips for eating well
Part two:
5 A DAY
© Food – a fact of life 2008
Part one
Eight tips for eating well
© Food – a fact of life 2008
Eight tips for eating well
The following 8 tips will help us eat a balanced diet
and keep our bodies healthy.
© Food – a fact of life 2008
1. Base your meals on starchy foods
We should eat plenty of breads, cereals, rice,
pasta and potatoes to keep our bodies healthy.
These foods provide energy, as well as fibre,
calcium, iron and B vitamins.
Starchy foods should make up 1/3 of our diet.
© Food – a fact of life 2008
2. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables
Try to eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and
vegetables every day.
Fruit and vegetables provide lots of vitamins,
minerals and fibre which our bodies need to
function properly.
fresh
© Food – a fact of life 2008
dried
juiced
frozen
canned
3. Eat more fish
Fish is an excellent source of protein and provides
many vitamins and minerals.
It is recommended that we all eat 2 portions of fish a
week, one of which should be oily. A portion of fish is
140g.
Oily fish, such as mackerel, salmon, trout and herring,
contains omega 3 fatty acids, which can help keep
our hearts healthy.
Salmon
© Food – a fact of life 2008
4. Cut down on saturated fat and sugar
Eating too much saturated fat can increase
cholesterol levels and the chance of developing
heart disease.
Try to avoid eating too many pies, pastries, hard
cheeses, cakes and biscuits.
Too many sugary foods and drinks can contribute to
tooth decay, especially if you have them between
meals.
© Food – a fact of life 2008
5. Try to eat less salt
(no more than 6g a day*)
*Children under 11 years have lower recommended amounts than adults.
Keeping a normal blood pressure is important for
your health. Eating too much salt may raise your
blood pressure and lead to certain illnesses.
Even if you do not add salt to your food, you can still
be eating a high amount of salt.
Much of the salt in our diet comes from processed
foods such as bread, breakfast cereals, soups,
sauces and ready meals.
© Food – a fact of life 2008
6. Get active
and try to be a healthy weight
To achieve a healthy weight, we need to balance the
energy we get from food with the energy we use up
through activity.
How much energy we take in from food and how
much energy we use up can affect our weight. If we
take in the right amount of energy to meet our needs,
we are said to be in energy balance and our weight
will remain the same. If we take in more energy than
we use up, the unused energy is stored as fat and we
will gain weight.
Physical activity such as walking, running or playing
sport can help balance the energy we get from eating
food to maintain a healthy weight.
© Food – a fact of life 2008
7. Drink plenty of water
Around 2/3 of our body is made up of water.
We lose water throughout the day when we sweat,
breathe and use the toilet.
Drinking enough water each day helps prevent
headaches and dehydration.
Remember not to drink too many soft or carbonated
drinks that are high in sugar.
© Food – a fact of life 2008
8. Try not to skip breakfast
Eating breakfast provides us with energy as well as
some important nutrients that we need for good
health.
For example, a healthy breakfast of wholegrain
cereal and a glass of fruit juice, will give our body
the energy and nutrients it needs to start the day.
If you skip breakfast, you are more likely to fill up on
snacks that are high in fat and/or sugar as you get
hungry before lunch.
© Food – a fact of life 2008
Can you recall the 8 tips?
© Food – a fact of life 2008
Part two
5 A DAY
© Food – a fact of life 2008
A closer look at fruit and vegetables
It is recommended that we need to eat at least 5
portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
fresh
© Food – a fact of life 2008
dried
juiced
frozen
canned
Good reasons to eat 5 A DAY
Fruit and vegetables provide important vitamins and
minerals, such as:
•vitamin A;
•vitamin C;
•folate;
•potassium.
These all help the body to function properly.
© Food – a fact of life 2008
More good reasons to eat 5 A DAY
• These are high in fibre which keeps our gut healthy.
• They are rich in substances that may protect against
some diseases such as cancer or heart disease.
• Fruit and vegetables are low in energy and fat
which helps maintain a healthy weight.
© Food – a fact of life 2008
What is one portion?
As a guide, the amount of fruit that you can hold in your hand is a
portion. For example:
• 1 apple, banana, pear, orange;
• 2 plums or similar sized fruit;
• 1 handful of grapes, cherries or berries;
• ½ a grapefruit or avocado;
• 1 slice of large fruit, such as melon or pineapple.
Also…
• 3 heaped tablespoons of vegetables;
• 3 heaped tablespoons of fruit salad;
• 1 heaped tablespoon of dried fruit;
• a dessert bowl of salad;
• 3 heaped tablespoons of beans and pulses*;
• a glass (150ml) of fruit juice*.
* Can only be counted as one portion no matter how much you eat or drink.
© Food – a fact of life 2008
Think about yesterday
Ask around the class to discover how many portions
of fruit and vegetables your class ate yesterday.
 1.1
© Food – a fact of life 2008
How can you eat more fruit and vegetables?
© Food – a fact of life 2008
You could add fruit and vegetables
to your breakfast:
• make fruit juices and smoothies;
• add chopped fruit to cereals, e.g. banana;
• have grilled tomatoes or mushrooms, baked beans
or peanut butter and banana on toast.
© Food – a fact of life 2008
You could add fruit and vegetables
to your lunch:
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try vegetable sticks and dip;
make vegetable soup;
put lots of salad in sandwiches;
have jacket potato with different vegetable fillings;
have a piece of fruit as dessert.
© Food – a fact of life 2008
You could add fruit and vegetables
to your snacks:
• have a piece of fresh fruit e.g. apple, plums;
• try dried fruits e.g. apricots;
• make fruit smoothies.
© Food – a fact of life 2008
You could add fruit and vegetables
to your evening meal:
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make vegetable stir fry;
add lots of fresh vegetables to your main meal;
cook vegetable dishes e.g. cauliflower cheese;
put extra vegetables in sauces;
have a vegetable casserole.
© Food – a fact of life 2008
How we can eat more?
• List all the different types of fruit and vegetables you
can think of which are in season at this time of the
year.
 1.2
• Complete the group activity on developing
different ideas to increase fruit and vegetables.
 1.3
© Food – a fact of life 2008
For further nutrition information,
please visit the BNF website www.nutrition.org.uk, or
Food - a fact of life www.foodafactoflife.org.uk
© Food – a fact of life 2008